Diabetes Type 2 Since Ancient Times, Egyptian Manuscripts (Research Paper Sample)

Diabetes type II
Name
Institution
Introduction
Diabetes is a health disorder that arises from the body's inability to control the level of blood glucose. The problem arises when the body's pancreas is unable to manufacture enough insulin to check the sugar balance in the body. There are two types of diabetes; diabetes type I and diabetes type II. Diabetes type I occurs when the immune system of the body acts against the insulin that is, the white blood cells digests and destroys the cells that are responsible for the manufacture of insulin in the body. On the other hand, diabetes type II occurs where the body is unable to produce enough levels of insulin to control the level of sugar or the body cells are unable to react to the insulin that is produced. This paper will focus on diabetes type II.
Diabetes type II may develop for a long time without being notified, but there are some symptoms that can signal the presence of the disease. One is increased levels of thirst and the frequency of urination. Since insulin has failed to maintain the sugar levels, there will be more sugar in the cells which draws a lot of water from the body, and thus one feels thirst. As the individual drinks more water, there will be the need for frequent urination. Two is increased hunger. Insulin is responsible for moving sugar to the cells for respiration and therefore when insulin fails there would be no respiration and one feels hunger.
Diabetes type II is an important disorder to study today because it is a killer disease yet the predisposing factors confront humans more frequently today. Predisposing factors are obesity, unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, family history, physical inactivity and many others.
Discussion
History of diabetes II
Diabetes II is a health problem that has been known since ancient times. Egyptian manuscripts that date back to 1550 BCE shows that there existed an ailment which was suspected to be diabetes (Nunn, pg.. pg. 203). National medical journal of Indians indicates that Indians were conscious of the presence of this disease in about 600 BCE. The disease was referred to as "sweet urine disease" and was diagnosed by presenting the urine of a patient to ants and see whether it attracted the insects. People who suffered from diabetes had sugar in urine which would attract the ants.
During the ancient times, the disease was commonly associated with age, and it used to result from family backgrounds. The disease prevalence was, however, low because of the health diet that did not include a lot of sugars and fats.
Currently, diabetes type II is gaining more momentum because of the life-style of the twenty-first century where people eat a lot of fats, sugars and high levels of proteins without incorporating vitamins in the diet. High fats and proteins lead towards obesity. Research shows that today obesity is the common cause of diabetes contributing to about 90% of the total cases. Researchers have found that a lot of fats in the body prompt the cells to induce pro-inflammatory secretions that that interfere with insulin regulating cells which make them less responsive to time. When they become less responsive, they begin to lose the ability to check blood sugar by producing levels of insulin for proper control.
Diabetes II may become a serious pandemic in the future because of the lifestyle and poor diet. It is anticipated that diabetes may claim about 500 million lives by the year 2030 (Turin, 2016, pg. 1150). People are moving towards an error of eating more fats and more proteins and sitting indoors without any physical exercise. The children are also over-fed with a lot of and protein-rich food that may cause early obesity. The children of today and the future are less likely to have physical exercises like they used to. That leaves no room for rectifying the problems of obesity, and it means such kids might end up developing diabetes at an early age.
Metabolic and physiological effects of diabetes II
Insulin is a major player in the regulation of metabolism as it determines whether extra fats are stored or oxidized (Dyar et al.. 2014,pg.33) Because of this capacity of insulin, it, therefore, follows that it has deep effects on the metabolism of fats, proteins, minerals and carbohydrates. Any impairment of the insulin, therefore, would lead to devastating effects on the organs and tissues of the body.
Glucose metabolism and insulin
Starch or carbohydrates are digested to release glucose which is absorbed into the blood system in the small intestines. When the concentration of glucose is high in the blood, insulin is released to reduce to favourable levels by stimulating uptake, storage or utilization of glucose by the body cells. Depending on the target tissue, insulin impacts on glucose metabolism differently. Insulin can influence metabolism by easing the uptake of glucose by adipose and muscle tissues. This can take place through the use of facilitated diffusion that involves the hexose transporters. These transporters are usually availed in the plasma membrane by the insulin (Girousse, 2013,pg. 34).
Similarly, insulin may invoke the liver to store more glucose in the form of glycogen when its concentration is too high in the blood. The liver converts glucose to the storage polymer which is glycogen. The process begins with stimulation by insulin with induces the enzyme hexokinase that phosphorylates glucose so that it can be grabbed within the cell. Insulin activates many enzymes involved in the conversion of glucose into glycogen such as phosphofructokinase (Girousse, pg. 35).
It is clear therefore that insulin plays so many roles in the metabolism of glucose. Diabetes type two will disable the production of insulin. It follows that glucose will not be converted into glycogen, that is, metabolism of the glucose in the liver will not take place because the enzymes responsible for the conversion of glycogen are not activated. The absence of insulin in the plasma membrane of the of the muscle tissue and other tissues will impede the uptake of glucose into the adipose tissues and cells of the muscles where the glucose would be metabolized and thus leave accumulations of glucose in the blood (Girousse, 2013,pg. 45).
Insulin and metabolism of lipids
Fats and carbohydrates metabolic pathways are closely linked. Insulin has deeper effects on the metabolism of lipids more than it had in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Insulin plays a role in advancing for conversion of lipids into fatty acids in the liver. Excess fats, same as glucose, are converted into glycogen in the liver. The enzyme simulation for conversion of lipids into glycogen relies on insulin. Glycogen may accumulate in the liver prompting the shunting of any further transportation of glucose to the liver. This process stimulates the formation of the fatty acids (Perry, pg. 84).
Insulin also stops oxidation of the lipids in the adipose tissues by impeding the intracellular lipase enzyme that breaks down triglycerides to liberate fatty acids. Insulin advances the uptake of the glucose into the adipocytes where the glucose is used in the manufacture of glycerol. Glycerol is required to be combined with fatty acids from the liver to synthesize triglyceride within the adipocyte. Insulin still plays a role in fat accumulation in the triglyceride cells (Perry, 2014pg 84).
In the event that insulin is not produced by the pancreas, all the metabolism activities of the fats and lipids will stop. As seen above, critical processes depend on insulin stimulation. Accumulation of fats in the adipose tissue where fats will periodically be metabolized is impaired without insulin (Perry, 2014. 84).
Physiologically, insulin enhances the permeability of the cell membranes to magnesium, potassium and phosphate ions. Insulin induces sodium-potassium ATPases in numerous body cells leading to entry of potassium ions into the cells. In diabetic patients, these physiological functions are likely to be negatively impaired.
Management of diabetes II
In diabetes type II, the pancreas is still working but not effectively. This paves the way for management through modification of lifestyle such as incorporation of proper diet, monitoring the levels of glucose in the blood on a regular basis and engaging in physical exercise. Healthy eating helps in checking the amount of glucose intake into the body and blood. It also helps in checking weight gain. The exercise aims at reducing body weight as a primary management technique. Exercising induces the low levels of insulin to work more effectively. Exercise also reduces the blood pressure and risk of heart disease. When the blood sugar is regularly checked, adjustments on the treatment will be effected as soon as the need arises.
Diabetes management aims at maintaining the blood glucose levels at target ranges usually between four to six mmol/L. Maintaining the levels of sugar within this range enables the patient to avoid both short-term and long-term complications.
Treatment of diabetes II at cellular level
Treatment of diabetes at cellular level aims at reducing the blood sugar by manipulating the cells to limit releasing the glucose into the blood. There are some drugs that are used for this purpose. One is metformin. This is a biguanide drug which reduces the amount of blood glucose through inducing the liver to limit the amount of glucose that it releases into the blood....